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Getting more from the same space. Peter and Nancy decided early on that the living room should take better advantage of its south-facing windows. In addition to upgrading the windows, they reframed the ceiling to the rafters for more space. They designed and built storage and display units for the end wall; a smaller opaque window is private but brightens the wall. Photos taken at A on floor plan. Inset photo: Courtesy of the authors D rive through any development, and all the houses probably look the same, even after the latest remodel craze has swept the neighborhood. Unless you live there, it’s hard to imagine that those houses are capable of rising above their ho-hum roots. But the interiors can go places the exteriors can’t. A few years ago, we wanted a bigger house with room enough for a home office and a workshop. We live at the epicenter of highpriced real estate, San Francisco, so finding an affordable place that fit the bill was going to be tough. Eventually, we found a barely affordable ranch house in a development built in the early ’60s. From the exterior, the house didn’t exactly get our creative juices flowing. The interior had period details that included low popcorn ceilings, small windows, hollow-core doors, and a faux-lava fireplace, but the space was more than adequate. A big plus was that the property backed onto conservation land, so the backyard view was an enormous asset. With the exception of a new entry treatment and new windows, we’ve hardly touched the exterior. But with some major floor-plan changes, bigger windows, better lighting, and a great kitchen, we transformed the interior into anything but mundane. Demolition can work as a reorganizing tool The initial phase of the renovation was satisfying, in a crowbar sort of way. We pulled down a wall separating two bedrooms as well as some bathroom and closet walls to make a large office space. The kitchen and the fireplace wall hit the Dumpster in short order, too. We wanted to open the living-room ceiling, so after pulling down the popcorn ceiling, by NaNcy Mccoy aNd Peter Judge AUgUST/SEpTEmBEr 2007 75